Hard Wood Flooring And Vinyl Flooring Over The Basement Concrete Slab
Question One
Constructing a low permeance vapour barrier helps avoid future potential moisture-related problems. According to Hamakareem, (2020), this should be done before the construction of the slab. The construction of a low permeance vapour begins with laying sand to a certain thickness followed by a highly strong and durable plastic for instance polyethylene. Thickness is essential since it effectively helps keep any slab moisture to reach the floor system after construction. Finally, sand is laid on top of the polyethylene (plastic) with a slightly lower thickness to complete the vapour barrier and proceed with the construction of the floor. It is imperative to remember that adequate time needs to be availed and ensure the barrier created dries well. After the vapour barrier dries up well, this guarantees that there will be no future potential moisture-related problems when it comes to hardwood flooring over basement concrete.
Fig. 1: Laying polyethylene plastic cover on top of a sand slab
Source: https://www.networx.com/article/vapor-barriers-foundations
The application of a damping agent helps prevent possible future moisture problems in case the slab is already constructed. An example of a damping agent includes a liquid epoxy damp membrane. As researched by Hamakareem, (2020), this is a two-component, low odour and a solvent-free membrane that is moisture intolerant on concrete floors. Therefore, if one chooses to replace a concrete floor with a hardwood floor, applying this damping agent helps prevents moisture problems. The purpose of the damping agent is the creation of an impermeable layer to moisture in a concrete slab. An additional benefit of the damping agent includes providing a good visual surface finish (attractiveness). It should, however, be noted that the number of layers of the damping agent should depend on the prevalence of moisture problems in the concrete floor (Asphaug et al., 2020). Hardwood flooring is considered a sensitive floor finish especially when laid on top a concrete floor. On this note, applying the damp membrane needs to be done several times to help ensure that there are no future related moisture problems.
Fig. 2: Application of damping agent on the concrete floor.
Source: https://theconstructor.org/building/stop-moisture-concrete-floor/29557/
Question Two
There are several concerns to vinyl flooring installed over the slab on grade and basement slab. The building science community stated that vinyl floor installed over slab on grade would be easily damaged by sharp objects falling and items dragged across the floor. Vinyl floors are made of a very light material Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) hence susceptible to damage from sharp objects. Therefore, damaging the vinyl floor exposes the slab on grade foundation meaning constant repairs hence the concern. The building science community was also concerned with vinyl flooring installed on a basement slab. A basement slab forms several layers of concrete hence prone to cracks over time. The vinyl floor, on the other hand, is durable for a long time but can be easily damaged by the cracking concrete floor underneath (Brick, 2018). As evidenced above, placing vinyl flooring on the foundations (slab on grade or basement slab) has its disadvantages hence the concerns by the building science community.
Fig. 3: Vinyl floor cracked by a concrete slab
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/04/23/how-fix-creaking-snapping-laminate-floors/
The factors that have led to the concerns mainly involve the advantages and disadvantages of both vinyl floors and concrete slabs. For instance, the durability of vinyl floors outweighs concrete slabs which hold moistures and wears out with time (Ching, 2019). Therefore, deciding on vinyl flooring means that such floors will need repairs in the future. Moreover, exposed and cracked vinyl floors pose a danger to both adults and children. Vinyl floors cannot be repaired or recycled while concrete slabs can be easily repaired in case of cracks. This led to the building science community members’ hesitation to install vinyl floors on top of concrete slabs. The hardness of the concrete slabs and lightness of vinyl floors leads to its damage when heavy objects are placed or dragged on top. All in all, such considerations constitute the factors that led to the concerns of the building science community.
References
Asphaug, S. K., Kvande, T., Time, B., Peuhkuri, R. H., Kalamees, T., Johansson, P., … & Lohne, J. (2020). Moisture control strategies of habitable basements in cold climates. Building and Environment, 169, 106572. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2019.106572
Brick, S. (2018). Looking for durability or high style? We break down the plethora of tile and hardwood floor options for you. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/08/07/looking-durability-or-high-style-we-break-down-plethora-tile-hardwood-floor-options-you/
Ching, F. D. K. (2019). Building construction illustrated. John Wiley & Sons.
Hamakareem, M.I. (2020). How to Stop Moisture in Concrete Floor? The Constructor. https://theconstructor.org/building/stop-moisture-concrete-floor/29557/